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QA) As you may know, the government is introducing changes to the pension paid to people working in the NHS. Doctors working in the NHS are affected and took industrial action on the 21st June as a protest against the government's changes. From what you know or have heard, please can you tell me the two or three main reasons doctors gave for taking industrial action?

Doctors want better pensions

25%

Doctors' retirement age is being increased/Doctors will have to work longer before retiring

19

Doctors will have to pay more into their pension

18

Doctors will receive a lower pension

10

Doctors want to be paid more

10

Doctors are unhappy about changes to the NHS/NHS Reforms

9

Government is breaking deal made a few years ago/in 2008

4

Doctors have to pay more than civil servants on the same salary

4

Doctors will lose the final salary scheme

2

NHS pension scheme currently brings in more than it pays out/NHS pension scheme is not in financial trouble/NHS pension scheme is in surplus

2

Doctors are selfish

2

Public sector cuts generally

1

Anti-government/Doctors don't like the government

1

Other

6

I didn't know doctors are taking industrial action

9

Don't know

21

Q1) As you may know, on Thursday this week doctors took industrial action. Before this interview, were you aware or not aware that doctors had taken industrial action?

I was aware

81%

I was not aware

19

Don't know

-

Q2) And how much, if at all, have you heard about doctors taking industrial action?

%

A great deal

16

A fair amount

43

Not very much

37

Not at all

*

Don't know

59

A great deal / Fair amount

41

Not very much/Not at all

As you may know, there have been several rounds of negotiations between doctors and the government about their pensions, but the government has now made its final offer, which doctors have rejected. On Thursday this week they took industrial action as a protest against the government's changes to their pensions.

Q3) On the whole, from what you know and/or have heard, would you tend to support the government or the doctors in this dispute?
Base: All

Wave 4*
%

Strongly support the doctors

26

Tend to support the doctors

23

Support neither

19

Tend to support the government

15

Strongly support the government

14

Don't know

3

Support the doctors

49

Support the government

29

* For Waves 1-2 the preamble to the question was different to that in Wave 3: "As you may know, there have been several rounds of negotiations between doctors and the government about their pensions, but the government has now made its final offer. Many doctors – including hospital doctors and GPs are unhappy with the changes."
** For Wave 3 the preamble read: "As you may know doctors have rejected the government's final offer and will now be taking industrial action as a protest against the government's changes to their pensions."

Q4) And do you think that doctors were right or wrong to take industrial action?

%

Right

48

Wrong

42

Don't know

10

Q5a) Were you, or any members of your immediate family, directly affected by the industrial action taken by doctors on Thursday?

%

Yes

5

No

94

Don't know

1

Q5b) And in what way were you, or any members of your immediate family, affected by the industrial action taken by doctors on Thursday?
Base: All those who were affected by the industrial action (52)
NB. Very small base size

%

Hospital appointment or procedure cancelled

18

GP appointment cancelled

12

Couldn't get seen by a GP

10

GP appointment postponed

9

Longer than usual waiting time at GP surgery

9

Hospital appointment or procedure postponed

7

Couldn't get seen in a hospital

1

Other

37

Don't know

3

Q6) To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

The safety of patients was put at risk by doctors taking industrial action
%

Doctors did as much as possible to make sure patients were not put at risk during the industrial action
%

Strongly agree

11

38

Tend to agree

16

30

Neither agree nor disagree

17

16

Tend to disagree

29

6

Strongly disagree

25

5

Don't know

2

5

Agree

27

68

Disagree

54

11

Q7) To what extent, if at all, do you think patients were <INSERT> by the industrial action taken by doctors on Thursday?

A great deal %

A fair amount %

Not very much %

Not at all %

Don't know %

A great deal / Fair amount %

Not very much / Not at all %

Harmed

4

17

48

23

7

21

71

Inconvenienced

14

40

36

6

4

54

42

Q7a) To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the ongoing dispute between doctors and the government.

Industrial action is pointless as the government won't change its mind on NHS pension reform

Doctors should consider taking further action in order to try to get the government to change its mind on NHS pension reform

Doctors had to take action because the government acted unfairly over the doctors' pensions

Doctors should never have taken industrial action in the first place

Strongly agree %

20

18

23

22

Tend to agree %

26

24

25

19

Neither / nor %

13

16

17

12

Tend to disagree %

17

16

16

21

Strongly disagree %

19

23

16

22

Don't know %

3

3

3

3

Agree %

46

42

48

41

Disagree %

36

39

32

43

Q8) To what extent do you support or oppose doctors taking further industrial action, similar to that taken on Thursday if the government does not re-open negotiations.

%

Strongly support

19

Tend to support

23

Neither/Nor

20

Tend to oppose

15

Strongly oppose

20

Don't know

2

Support

42

Oppose

35

Q9) As a result of the industrial action taken by doctors this week, how likely or unlikely do you think the government is to re-open negotiations with doctors over the changes to pensions?

%

Very likely

8

Fairly likely

27

Fairly unlikely

38

Very unlikely

22

Don't know

5

Likely

35

Unlikely

60

Q10) Which, if any, of the following statements comes closest to your opinion of doctors as a result of the industrial action?

%

I think worse of doctors for taking industrial action

16

Doctors taking industrial action has made no difference to my opinion of them